History: Family: "The Sampson Family" 1760's-: Westmoreland, Allegheny, Washington Cos, PA excerpts from the works of Lilla Briggs Sampson, Member Maryland Historical Society, various pages. Footnotes added by Wayne M. Sampson. Copyright 1914 By Lilla Briggs Sampson composed and Printed at the Waverly Press By the Williams & Wilkins Company Baltimore, U.S.A. Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Wayne M. Sampson; 916 South Olive Street; Mexico, MO 65265. wayne@morrisnet.net *********************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The Submitter has given permis- sion to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http: //www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************ Pages 84-85. THE SAMPSON FAMILY By means of quite an extensive correspondence with this family of Sampsons, I learned the tradition handed down from their great-great-grandfather was as follows: "Four brothers of the name of Sampson, settled in Ballyloughlin near Cookstown, County Tyrone. Where these brothers came from cannot be learned. Their names were James, Ralph, George and Thomas." "Little is known of Ralph, or practically nothing. I discovered a will in a list of wills sent me from Dublin and had it copied. He writes himself as of Derryloran, Bally- loughlin. His wife was Mary _____ and the will was made in 1792. The children mentioned are Robert, John, Eleanor, who married Thomas Dreining, William, Ralph, Mary, who married John Adams, James, Thomas and George." "Some one of the Sampson family with whom I have corre- sponded in Ireland made mention of the warm friendship existing between a family of the name of Adams and the Sampsons. Ralph's daughter, Mary, married John Adams, while another account mentions a John Sampson as marrying Mary Adams. This John, with his wife, eventually came to America and settled in Pittsburgh, Pa. I am fully convinced that this John Sampson, who married Mary Adams, was also a son of Ralph, and that these marriages occurred very near together, as is frequently the case where a brother and a sister of one family are united by marriage to a brother and sister of another family. If this inference of mine should chance to be correct (and the dates will also allow of it), then the four brothers, John who married May Adams, William, Thomas and James, all of whom came to America and settled in West- ern Pennsylvania, were sons of Ralph Sampson of "Derryloran," Ballyloughlin, County Tyrone, Ireland." ******* Pages 133-134: THE SAMPSON FAMILY I doubt if the most vivid imagination can picture the hardships and terrors of those early days in Western Penn- sylvania. Even the roads as late as 1786 were the paths of the Redskins traversed by traders, indians and emigrants from the east. The houses were built of logs, some of which are standing today in some sections. The numerous Indians and the depredations they committed forced many of the men who were old enough, to belong to "The Rangers," a body who could be called upon to fight the Indians at any hour, day or night. Among these "Rangers on the Frontiers," as they were called, were a number of Sampsons. In G. D. Albert's History of Westmoreland County is this record: "Thomas Sampson and William Sampson were Rangers on the Frontiers belonging to Capt. Moses Carsons' Company, July 9, 1776 to August 9, 1776, also Thomas Sampson, Sr. and Thomas Sampson were Rangers on the Frontiers in Capt. Morton's Company." ******* Pages 166-185: THE SAMPSON FAMILY With the assistance of court records and will, as also the data given me by the descendants, I have proved there were four brothers of the name of Sampson who came from Ballyloughlin, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland: William, Thomas of the Greensburg Pike, James and John. Of these brothers, two served in the Revolutionary War. Wil- liam was in the famous battle of the Brandywine, as well as many other battles. He kept at one time "The Black Horse Tavern," near Webster, and was living there when his daugh- ter Sarah, married Benjamin Beazell. In the 10th volume of the Pennsylvania Magazine, under "Notes of Travel," by William Henry, is the following notice of "Black Horse Tavern:" At Sampson's we had tolerable good accommodations. Sampson's was in the forks, between the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers, a little more than half way between Williamsport and Robbstown, (which is now West Newton). William Sampson, married Dorcas Neal, a sister of the Mary Neal Beazell, who married his nephew, also a William Sampson. The father of Mary and Dorcas Neal was Matthew Neal, a pioneer of the Monongahela Valley, who settled at Long Run and was killed by the Indians. William and Dorcas had two sons and six daughters. The two sons were John and William. William married Jane Bea- zell and had five children: Rebecca, John, Benjamin, Mat- thew, and William, who married ________ and whose daughter, Hattie Sampson, married Thomas Guy, and lives in Youngstown, O. The six daughters of William and DOrcas were: Sarah, who married Benjamin Beazell. Dorcas, who married Jesse Stoneman. Mary, who married Sam Devore. Jane, who married a Monteith. Margaret and Rachell, of whom I have found no record as to their marriages. William died in 1809 and is no doubt, buried in the cemetery of the Old Stone Fells Church, near Webster, Pa. This church was built by Benjamin Beazell (who married William's daughter, Sarah Sampson) and one of the Fells family who donated the land. The noted Methodist preacher, Rev. James G. Sansom (no doubt a connection of the Sampson family) preached in this church at one time. Benjamin Beazell also built the first house in the town of Webster, which was occupied by and known as the "Rev. James G. Sansom Mansion." Thomas Sampson, a brother of William also served in the Revolutionary War. There is no record obtainable of Thomas Sampson's birth {see note 1.}, but he lived in a log house on the old Greensburg Pike, where he owned a farm of 333-1/2 acres. He died in this log house in August 1833 and his wife followed him two weeks later. Thomas had many experiences with the Indians. One story told of him is that he was sent ahead of a party of men who were out trying to find some Indians who had been committing depredations in the neighborhood. They came to a place where there were high rocks on an old Indian trail, and Thomas, not wishing to take time to walk around these rocks, caught hold of a birch and swung himself around over the rocks, landing in the midst of some Indians who were eating their lunch among these same rocks. Thomas yelled and whooped so that it frightened the Indians into thinking it was a whole party of soldiers after them and they scattered without attacking Thomas. His name is men- tioned in the Pennsylvania Archives both in connection with "Rangers on the Frontiers" and "Soldiers of the Revolution." He is referred to in the 6th Series of the Pennsylvania Archives, volume III, page 1389, under Return of Militia Officers of County Westmoreland, "Third Battalion, Third in Command." Also in Pennsylvania Archives, Volume II, on the "Pay Roll of Capt. Moses Carson's Company of Westmoreland County to range on the Frontiers, July 9, 1776 to August 9, 1776." Under "Miscellaneous Officers," "Depreciation Pay Rolls," he is again mentioned and under "Soldiers of the Revolution of Westmoreland County," as Thomas Sampson, Private. This was no doubt before he had been advanced in the ranks. Thomas Sampson married a Duff {see note 2.}, and had nine children: John, James Thomas, Alexander, David, Eliza- beth, Mary, William and Margaret. He is buried in Old Beulah Cemetery, but no one knows the exact place where he lies. The following beautiful tribute from the Pittsburgh Despatch of May 24, 1886, is the only monument to his memory: When the Western Pennsylvania's loyal sons and daughters next stop for a moment from the whirl of life to renew that most beautiful custom of modern days, decorating the graves of the Nation's dead, each heart should turn to a little, half-deserted, burial ground that years and years ago became history through the dead of heroes of an extinct band of men. Crowning a range of hills that overlooks fertile valleys and fields, some miles east of Wilkinsburg, is Beulah Church and its humble last resting place, where sleep scores of men and women who long since paid the last great debt. Within the limits of the rude enclosure rest the ashes of four generations of soldiers. When the leaves of the Judgment Book are unfolded old Beulah's church yard will furnish ten warriors of the Revolution, three of the War of 1812, two of the Mexican War, and over twenty of the late rebellion for the final reckoning. Some of them have been out of the strife for over three-quarters of a century, resting there with birds and trees and flowers through the summers and disturbed by no harsher sounds than moaning winds during the winter. Beulah Church is probably the oldest in Western Pennsylvania -- it was built by rugged yeoman sometime after 1750; its early history is lost in the mist of years. Among the soldiers of the Sampson family, who are buried in Beulah Cemetery, Major Thomas Sampson, of Revolutionary fame, awaits the trumpet call in an unmarked grave. Three generations of the family, headed by Major Sampson, were represented on field of strife, but his only monument consists of a good name. John Sampson, a son of Major Sampson, took part in the War of 1812; he was born in 1785 and died in 1859. Coming down to the late war the names of many brave young men who went forth to battle for their county and returned in coffins, are to be found in Beulah; among these were George Washington Sampson, a grandson of Major Sampson; also Thomas Sampson, Company C - 63 P.V. Other old family names are scattered through the peace- ful shades of Beulah, making it one of the most noted spots in the county. Of the nine children of Thomas Sampson and ______ Duff {see note 2.}, I find extended records of only three. David, born December 13, 1800, married in Kentucky {see note 3.} and had five children: William {see note 6.}, Thomas {see note 7.}, Stewart, Margaret and Theodosia {see note 4.}. David returned to Westmoreland County from Kentucky {see note 5.} and died December 31, 1864. No doubt, he, too is buried in Beulah. Margaret, born September 21, 1797, married Stewart Thompson, and has one son, Stewart S.D. Thompson, living at Princess Anne, Maryland. Margaret died July 9, 1868, and is also buried at Beulah, with a stone to mark her resting place. James was born August 15, 1786, and no record of his death. Thomas, born September 6, 1787, died December 2, 1846. Alexander, born September 21, 1789, died February 4, 1832. Elizabeth, born September 21, 1789, a twin to Alexan- der, died September 10, 1797. Mary, born March 30, 1792, died 1795, and no record of death. John was born April 20, 1785, the oldest of the nine children, and lived, after his marriage, in a log house on the old General Forbes road, where all his children were born and where he died. He served in the War of 1812 and is mentioned in the tribute to the soldiers from the Pittsburgh Despatch I have already given. He married Jane Dampster, and they had nine children, three of whom died in infancy. The others were: John, Thomas, George W., Eliza J., Mary M., and Sarah. Thomas and George Washington {see notes 7 & 8} both served in the Civil War, and George was killed. They are both buried in Beulah and also honored in the tribute to the Nation's dead in the Pittsburgh paper. Mary M., married Alexander Mulnix, and they had seven children. Eliza Jane married John Harrison, and had seven chil- dren. David H., married Jane Beale. Margaret J., married Joseph G. Beale. John Edmund married Willis Garver. Alice M., married H.H. Wray. James married Luella Alexander. Frank J., married Jennie McCabe. Anna E., unmarried. James and Luella had four children: George, Alexander, Annie Wray, Donald, and Joseph Shea. John, son of John and Jane Dampster, was born May 13, 1832, in the old log house in the Forbes Road. He married Kate A. Duff, February 6, 1862, who died _____. John is 6 feet 2 inches in height, and his youngest son Harold, is also 6 feet tall. They are both great lovers of hunting and take a hunting trip every fall, the father usually going to Maine. He has a fine moose head mounted that he shot in one of these trips to Maine, and also a beautiful white deer's head. John and Kate Duff had nine children, one, Frank H., died in infancy, but the other eight are all living. Seven are married and six are living in the Frankstown Road with their families. These seven married children have twenty- seven children, and all have taken their Christmas dinner in the old home as regularly as Christmas comes. Christmas of 1912 was the last happy reunion with the father and grandfa- ther of this most united family, for in February 1912 he was taken to his well earned rest; loved and mourned by all his family, and everyone who ever met him. John Sampson was a typical gentleman of the old school and a Christian in every sense of the word. His children are: George, born May 16, 1863, who married Lizzie Finley, and have Wallace, Warren, Winifred, Evelyn, and Marjorie. Albert L., born July 25, 1867, married Annie Hormel, and have Belle, Kenneth, Esther, Beulah, Glen, Oren, and Duff. James D., born June 26, 1869, married Kate Watson, and have Olive, Irene, John, Paul, James and Bessie. Jennie, born June 7, 1871, married J.E. Wilson, and have Clarence and Harry Ellis. Harry E., born September 20, 1873, married Corene Taylor, and have Stanley, Florence, and Vernon. Annie Belle, born November 8, 1875, married Harvey Beswarrick, and have Clifford, Clinton, Catherine, and Harry. John Howard, born November 20, 1883, married Bessie Watson, and had one child, Margaret. Lizzie S., born October 11, 1864, lived at home with her father, who died in his 81st year and was more active than many men at 50. Thomas, son of John and Jane Dampster, married Martha Vantine, and had three children: John, Arthur M., and Anna M. Thomas was very fond of music and played the violin well. This love of music was inherited by his son Arthur, who was the possessor of a fine violin fully one hundred years old, which was destroyed when his home burned to the ground several years ago. Arthur M., married Grace Foster, and has four children. He lives on the Frankstown Road. John E., married Phoebe Trees, and they also live on the Frankstown Road. He conducts a grocery store which is located very near his home. Anna M., married Henderson Elliot, and they have four children. James Sampson, brother of William and Thomas, came from Ireland in 1796. His son, John, had come over in 1788 and sent back for his father, James. John, who, according to the date of his birth was only two [Note: should read ten] years old when came from Ireland to America, may have accom- panied one of his uncles. There are such instances as Henry Sampson, who was one of the "Mayflower" passengers, came with his uncle Edward Tilley, and, according to history, other members of his family came later. James Sampson settled near Brush Creek, in Westmoreland County. His wife was Mary Margaret Crook. James died August 20, 1831, and his wife died March 10, 1832. To them were born seven children: John, James, William, Margaret, Thomas, Sarah, and Samuel. Margaret Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, I have already given an account of as the wife of George Sampson, of Cannonsburg, in Washington County. Sarah Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, married David Bell. John Sampson, son of James and Mary, was born in Ire- land, February 12, 1778, and, as I have already stated, came to Pennsylvania in 1788. John Sampson died March 21, 1858, and is buried in the West Newton Cemetery, as are other members of this family. He was twice married. His first wife was Mary McGavitt, whom he married March 24, 1809, and by whom he had five children: Dorcus, Thomas, Nancy Jane, Margaret, and James. Of these five children James died in 1831 and Margaret in 1836. Dorcas Sampson, daughter of John and Mary, married a Stoneman and had two children: John and Dorcas. Nancy Jane Sampson, the daughter of John and Mary, married Merry Montgomery. James Sampson, the son of John and Mary, was twice married, first to Maria Boise, and second to Mrs. F. Caroth- ers. There were three children: Lavina, Mary Jane, and Simeon. Simeon Sampson married Maria Strumel and had four children: Thomas, Hattie, Elizabeth, and May. Mary McGavitt died September 17, 1826, and John was married Lavina Lightburn, September 25, 1828. They had four children: Elizabeth, born September 25, 1829; Benjamin L., born March 16, 1832; Cornelia, born June 5, 1833, and Sarah L., born August 12, 1836. Elizabeth, the oldest, married William Boyd, of Alle- gheny, and died leaving no children. Cornelia died. Sarah is living in West Newton, Pa. Benjamin married Harriet Reed, October 26, 1871, and they are still living in West Newton, Pa., where he conducts a mill on the Youghiogheny River. Benjamin is 78 years old and had been running this mill 20 years, July 1909. He is a most active man, with fine intellect and wonderful memory. The family are all Presbyterians and attend the Presbyterian Church across the river from where they live. Benjamin Sampson and Harriet had seven children, four of whom died in infancy. William R., born March 26, 1874, married Bess Cunning- ham, and has one child, William C. They also live in West Newton. John B., born January 29, 1877, married Eva Smith, and they have three children: Helen, Evelyn, and Sarah. Margaret, born October 8, 1875, married John B. Hart, and has three children: Harriet, George, and Paul B. William Sampson, the son of James and Mary Margaret, was born in 1765 and married a widow, Mary Neal Beazell, a sister to Dorcas Neal, the wife of his uncle William. In the year 1812 William Sampson moved to Horse Shoe Bottom, Carrol Township, Washington County, where he successfully followed farming and distillery business. At the time of his death in 1815 he owned 200 acres of land, part of which he purchased for twelve dollars an acre. In his day, grain was cut with a sickle and he was famed far and near for his dexterous handling of that primitive implement, and for the amount of wheat, barley, oats or grass he could cut in a day. William and Mary had four children: Harvey, Thomas, Dorcas and James. Harvey Sampson, son of William and Mary, died unmarried about 1841. Dorcas Sampson, daughter of William and Mary, was born September 22, 1804, and died February 3, 1847. She was married to Elijah Teeple, June 1, 1841; was his second wife, and to them were born two sons: John and James Harvey. John died in infancy, and James Harvey married and has two chil- dren and grandchildren. He is now 67 years of age and lives with his wife in Monongahela, Pa. Mrs. James Harvey Teeple writes of Dorcas Sampson that: "she was a beautiful woman, fair, with blue eyes and golden-bronze hair. That she was as good as she was beautiful; a devout Christian, perfect wife and mother and loved and respected by all who knew her." James Sampson, a son of William and Mary, was born in Westmoreland County in 1806. He married Mary Grant in 1840, who was a daughter of Robert and Rebecca Grant, and a con- nection of the Ulysses S. Grant family. James and Mary had nine children, two of whom died in infancy: Harriet R., Harvey James, William T., John Grant, Mary Catherine, Margaret Jane, and Ada Ethel. James Sampson came to Washington County in 1812, the family settling in Horse Shoe Bottom, Carrol Township, now near the present towns of Donora and Eldora. His father, William Sampson, died when he was but twelve years old, and the management of the farm devolved upon him. He grew up to be a worthy man, possessing the qualities necessary to overcome the difficulties with which the early settler was beset. A history of Washington County, Pa., gives this de- scription: The Sampson family are among the most influential and wealthy citizens of Carrol Township. James Sampson a patri- archal son of the Keystone State, is a retired agriculturist and in his younger days a typical follower of Nimrod. He took great pride in being the owner of the fleetest pack of fox hounds in his section. Many a time, after doing a hard day's work on the farm, he would spend almost an entire night with his faithful dogs. In a paper written by Mrs. Mary Grant Riggs, at a re- union in Eldora, she writes that: "Though James Sampson always resided on the farm, he was a reader and a thinker. His instinctive uprightness in his dealings with his fellow men mark him worthy of the esteem in which he was held by his neighbors." His daughter, Mrs. Weddell, of Monongahela, told me that when hunting he could locate every dog by the sound of their baying, and in consequence he always followed the dogs he knew were the best hunters. In a conversation with a Mr. Evans, of McKeesport, Pa., he told me that his people owned an extra fine fox hound, and when "Uncle Jimmy" (as everyone called him) went hunt- ing, he would always come or send for that special hound. Mr. Evans also stated, that when foxes became scarce, the hunters would burn an old ham bone, then tie a rope to it, and one of the party would drag it about the country, keep- ing the dogs locked up, but as soon as enough territory was covered they would loose the dogs and the hunt began. James Sampson carried on a distillery for twenty years in connection with farming, and at his death owned 1250 acres of land, and frequently had as many as a thousand head of cattle. In politics he was a Whig and a Republican and voted with that party from the date of its foundation. His daughter, Mrs. Weddell, spoke of his having a mania for accumulating land, and in a talk with Dr. Van Voohies, the author of the book called Old Monongahela, who was a life- long friend of the Sampson family, he told this of Mr. James Sampson: "One bright Sunday morning, Dr. Van Voohies met him as he was walking about his farm, looking very downcast. When Dr. Van Voohies asked him the cause of his depression, he replied that he could weep to think that he did not own all the land he could see." He was President of the Peoples Bank of Monongahela for 22 years. James Sampson passed away at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Harriet Tuman, in 1892, his wife having died in 1888. Harriet Sampson, a daughter of James and Mary, was twice married; first, to Thomas Reeves, by whom she had two daughters: Mary and Lena. Her second husband was Joseph Tuman, and they reside in Charleroi, on the Monongahela River, not far from the City of Monongahela. Mary Catherine Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, married Captain Jenkins, and had two children: Mary and Virginia. Margaret Jane Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, married Mr. T. J. Weddell, and lives in Monongahela, Pa. They have three children: James, Jessie and Mary. Ada Ethel Sampson, daughter of James and Mary, married Charles Roe Dallas, of Pittsburgh, September 29, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Dallas still live in Pittsburgh. I am much indebted to Mrs. Dallas and Mrs. Weddell, also to Dr. Van Voohies, of Belle Vernon, Pa., for points of interest relative to the Sampson family of the Monongahela River. Mr. and Mrs. Dallas had four children: James Roe, born January 18 1882; Sarah A., born February 13, 1886; Charles Roe, born December 4, 1888; and Ada Grant, born February 25, 1893. Charles Roe, Jr., died February 1, 1893; and Sarah A., died January 5, 1905. James Roe Dallas married Anne Rinehart, March 9, 1909, and Ada Grant lives at home. William Sampson, a son of James and Mary, married Lucretia Welch, and has five children: Mary B., Sarah J., John W., Lucretia V., and William K. James Harvey Sampson, a son of James and Mary, married Jennie B. Yorty, and has six children. John G. Sampson, a son of James and Mary, married Mary V. Williams, and they have five children: Mary G., William H., James G., Helen M., and Alice M.V. The history of Washington County gives this account of John G.: "He was a very progressive and enterprising citizen and politically affiliated with the Republican party. He owns 276 acres of the best land in Carrol Township and breed some of the finest horses in Washington County. He lives in the old James Sampson home." John Sampson, a brother to Thomas, William and James, also from near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, somewhere about the year 1793. He sailed from Derry, in Ireland, landed at Wilmington, Delaware and settled in Westmoreland County after a visit to his brother, William, who lived near Webster, at what was "The Forks of Gaugh." He had married in Ireland Mary Adams, the daughter of a Presbyterian Minister, and they and their family children took this long tedious trip to America. The voyage was a very rough one; they were blown a long distance out of their course, which made the journey a much longer and a more tedious one. John and Mary had six children: Thomas, Margaret, Sarah, William, Nancy and John. John Sampson, the son of John and Mary, was born near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, December 25, 1788. He was only about five years old when he came with his parents to America, and his father died when he was about ten years old, on their farm in Westmoreland County. John Sampson eventually located in that portion of Pittsburgh, in those days called Manchester. He was most successful in business, owning white lead works, plough foundry, and lumber yards. The latter years of his life were passed in a mansion on the Ohio River, and he is buried in the beautiful Uniondale Cemetery, in Allegheny. His grave lies on a hill which commands a delightful view of the river and city. He Mar- ried Letitia Lecky, of Martinsburg, Va., and to them were born five children: Robert L., Mary, Benson Adams, Margaret A., and Letitia Jane. Robert L., the oldest, married Ellen Hughey, and had one daughter, Ellen Letitia, who married Joseph M. Lippin- cott, of Pittsburgh. Mary, who was born February 17, 1817, married John Hohrbach, and died March 13, 1864. They had six children: Letitia L., Luther Wolsey, Margaret B., John B., Sarah S., and Robert L. Benson A., was born October 20, 1818, and died August 24, 1872. Margaret A., Married Andrew Jackson Stuart, and had one daughter, Jane Letitia, who married Dr. Edward S. Lawrence, and they have three children: Dr. J. Stuart, Edward S., and John Sampson. Mrs. A. J. Stuart resides in Philadelphia with her daughter, Mrs Lawrence, and to them I am indebted for this branch of the Sampson history. When Mrs. Stuart and her daughter were abroad they visited this village of Bally- loughlin, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland, but found the old records had been destroyed by fire, and they could locate no one who remembered the Sampsons. But in the village cemetery they found gravestones with the names of Sampson. Of the other children of John Sampson and Mary Adams, Nancy married a McKee, Sarah married WIlliam Manown, Marga- ret died young, and William went to Ohio. Thomas, born in 1794, settled on a farm at Long River, Allegheny County. He married to Anne Coon and they had nine children. Thomas was a manufacturer of sickles as well as a farmer and also conducted a flouring mill. The point where this mill stood is still called "Sampsons Mills" {see note 9.} and is on the electric line running from McKeesport to Irwin. The old log mill has fallen to pieces and only a mill stone lying on the bank of little stream is lift to show where the old mill stood. The miller's old log house, however, is still standing and in a good state of preserva- tion. Sampsons Mills is mentioned in some of the present histories as a point which Washington passed on his march to Virginia. Thomas Sampson was a zealous member of the Long Run Presbyterian Church and died on his farm at Long Run in 1844. He is buried in the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church. Mary Anne Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne, married Oliver Evans. Susanna Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne, married James Neal. Letitia Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne, Married John Foster. I have no account of James H., John, or Margaret, chil- dren of Thomas and Anne. Adam C. (Coon) Sampson, son of Thomas and Anne, was born February 15, 1828, in Allegheny County, near McKees- port. He was three times married ad had nine children, several dying in infancy. After his first marriage he came to Monongahela to reside. The History of Washington County states that: "Mr. Sampson was a progressive citizen, a typical self-made man and no one in the country enjoyed higher respect and esteem. He was the first President of the Peoples Savings Bank of Monongahela, and was one of the active, solid, business men of the place. In religion he was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church and in politics a member of the Republican Party." I have a copy of the Will of Thomas Sampson, made in 1795, of Caredarh, County Armagh. He wills to his wife Agnes, his two children John and Kit and makes a Ralph Sampson and Andrew Sampson, his executors. Located in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, are a large number of Sampson who claim as their ancestor James, the youngest of the four brothers, who settled in Ballyloughlin, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland. This family of Sampsons have instituted and kept the good custom of assembling together at some point in Tioga County once a year (usually in August) for a "re-union of the Sampson Family of Tioga County." I have been unfortu- nate in not being able to attend any of these gatherings since learning of the existence of these Sampsons. I am indebted to Mr. James R. Sampson, of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Thomas J Bowen, also of Wellsboro; Mrs M. J. Wheaton, of Covington, Pennsylvania; and Robert Kelly, of Covington, for information regarding their immediate fami- lies and ancestors. Also much is due Miss Mary Anne Hutch- inson, of Houtzdale, Pennsylvania for assistance in tracing different members of the family. ******* FOOTNOTES: 1. Thomas Sampson's birth circa 1755. 2. Thomas Sampson's wife, Elizabeth Duff. 3. David Sampson married Mary Purcell, in Lewis County, KY; No. 28, 26 October 1839, Marriage Book B, page 47. "Lewis County Ken. I certify on the 7th day of October 1839, celebrate the rites of matrimony between David Sampson and Mary Purcell, Given under my hand the 10th day of February 1840. King D. McLane, J.P. NOTE: There is a difference shown for the date between the recording and the certification. 4. U.S. Federal Census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 5 September 1850. Wilkins Township. Sampson, David age 49 Pircell 29 Margaret 11 Theodosia 9 William 7 Thomas 5 Stewart 3 5. David Sampson lived in Concord, Lewis Co, KY and all of his children were born here. 6. William Sampson, born 22 Dec 1842, Concord, Lewis Co, KY, enlisted in the military (Civil War), serving as Pri- vate-22 Aug 1861, Corporal-Feb 1864, Sergeant-12 Jan 1865. Company K. 30th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Discharged 13 August 1865, Little Rock, Arkansas. William returned to Noble County, OH, married Catherine Jane Mas- ters, daughter of Richard and Malinda Masters, on 16 Decem- ber 1865. William Sampson and the Masters family moved to Miller Co, MO and settled near Brumley. William died 3 October 1869 and is buried at the Jackson Cemetery near Ulman, MO. William and Catherine Jane had one son, George Henry Sampson, born Brumley, MO, 8 November 1868. [Addendum for 6. William Sampson by the contributor. William Sampson entered into military service in Company K, 30th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on August 22, 1861 at Caldwell, Noble County, Ohio. For much of the war the 30th Ohio Infantry was under the command of either Gen. George B. McClellan or Gen. William T. Sherman. William saw action in every battle in which the 30th Ohio Infantry was involved from 1861 through 1865, including those at: Antietam, Maryland 17 September 1862 Vicksburg, Mississippi 22 May through 4 June 1863 Missionary Ridge, Tennessee 25 November 1863 Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia 24 June 1864 Atlanta, Georgia 20 July through 27 August, 1864 William was discharged from military service August 13, 1865 at Little Rock, Arkansas. He returned to Ohio where on December 16, 1865 he married Miss Catharine Jane Masters of South Olive, Noble County, Ohio. William with his new bride, Catharine Jane, and her family, Richard and Malinda Masters and their other child- ren, moved west and settled near the town of Brumley, in Miller County, Missouri. In November, 1868 a son, George Henry Sampson, was born to William and Catharine. During the Civil War, due to living conditions, William had developed a lung condition which was eventually to cause his death in the fall of 1869. William was buried in the Jackson Cemetery, Ulman, Miller County, Missouri. His first tombstone, purchased by his widow, shows simply "William Samson; Died Oct. 3, 1869; Aged 26 ys. 9ms. 11 ds." In October, 1994, the 125th anniversary of his death, the Veterans Administration as part of an ongoing project to identify and mark the graves of all war veterans, provided a Civil War commemorative tombstone. The new stone in white marble reads as follows: WILLIAM SAMPSON PVT. CO. K 30 REG, OHIO INF DEC 22 1842 - OCT 3 1869 Catharine Sampson was married a second time to Derrick Jeff- ries of Casey County, Kentucky and Miller County, Missouri. After this marriage, George Henry Sampson, who never knew his own father William, became known simply as "Derrick Jeffries' stepson". When Derrick died in 1888, Catharine and her son, George, and his wife Mary Bell Jeffries, who was the daughter of Robert Kirkpatrick Jeffries (1844-1909) and Purnecia Hinton McCubbin (1847-1904), and Derrick's grand-daughter, made a decision to leave Miller County and they moved to Paddy's Creek, near Roby, in Texas County, Missouri. As Catharine felt she most likely would never again see her first husband's grave, she had the original marker carved so that, in her words, "he should never be lost nor forgotten." In 1999 a listing of the Jackson Cemetery was posted in the Miller County, MO archives. This listing incorrectly shows: SAMSON WILLIAM AGED 16Y 9M 11D DIED 30 OCT 1969 This brief history is to provide correct information for those who may have some interest in this individual. For further infor- mation on William George Sampson or the Sampson family, please contact this writer. 7. Thomas Sampson enlisted in the military (Civil War), serving as Private, Company C. 63rd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, August 1, 1861, for 3 years at Pittsburgh, Pa. He was granted a "Certificate of Disability for Discharge" April 3, 1862. 8. George Washington Sampson, 101st Pennsylvania Volun- teers, From "History of Allegheny County", page 564. "George, son of John Sampson, died at Suffolk, Va., in 1863, while serving in the 101st P.V., in the Union Army." ***** Following is the text of a letter written by George W. Sampson to his brother, April 7, 1862. I have left the letter as close as possible to the original: Camp Keim Apr. the 7 1862 Dear Brother I once more take my pen in had to let you now how I am pretty well considering the climate and the cined of water we have to drink the water is no quite as good as you have there at home it slimy as anny frog pond there in august we are now near Newport News back in the country about two miles back in the pines and swamps we had a pretty rough time comeing down the bay we had to run back 20 miles one night to get out of a storm we run back into the potomac and anchored till morning and then started again and anchored at fortress the next night and started the next morning for Newport News we had view of the monitor the great Northern gun boat at the fourt and also the reble gunboat merrimac the terror of the bay we also saw the two vessels of ours that was sunk by the merrimac in the mouth of the James River and was in hiering of guns at the Battle of yorktown they comenced on saturday morning fought on till sunday evening we have not heard which side is victoras I have seen what a rebble flag looks like I saw one on pig point yeasterday pig point is just a cross the river from Newport News within cannon shot of our guns I have seen some of my old aquaintances some of in the 8 reserve and the 8 reserve is at Alexandra I have not time or I would have went to see Jo Beal and dunk currens we was camped withe in three miles of them for to days and nights and I saw Duff and Chaffan and Long and Bright and Morris they are still at Alexandra I rote to Thomas from Alexandra and put ten dollars in it I dout wheter it would reach there or not I would have sent more only I did not like to risk it I have over $90 with me yet I expect I will loss it laying around on the ground we are not fixed up as nice as we were at washington we have to lay out on the ground we had to carry all our baggage from the river on our backs we had to go down and carry fifty thousand Ball cartrages on sunday after surmon our chaplain preached a most beautiful surmon in the morning and had prayer meting in the eavning there is the ruins of a town about six miles from here that the rebbles burnt and left hampton was the name of it they sayed it looked hard to see the walls of churches and large swelling houses standing there all black and chared well I believe that is all at preasant give my love to all the folks Nothing more at present G.W. Sampson (letter is addressed as follows:) Direct to Washington D C forward after the regiment NOTE: During the Civil War there were nearly as many casualties from disease as there were from battle wounds. George was stricken with Malaria in Suffolk, Virginia in November, 1862 and died December 13, 1862. 9. The History of Sampson's Mill Church: The seeds of Sampson's Mills Church were planted in the early 1890's when a group of Christian loving people met at various member's homes and held regular Sunday religious school sessions. Most frequently the meetings were held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Evans, Sr., who lived on Pleasant Drive, and area completely surrounded by farm lands. In the early months of 1892, due to increasing member- ship, the now named Mission School was looking for a meeting place to accommodate the growing Christian fellowship. Historical data found in some old books mentions that meet- ings were held at times in the Jack's Run Schoolhouse which was located at the corner of Jack's Run Road (Route 48) and McClintock Road. Among the many families in the early histories of McKeesport - McKee, Shaw, Atwater, Huey, Penny and many others - the name Evans is found. The Evans family was very influential in the progress of Sampson's Mills church from its very roots. James Evans came upon the scene as a pioneer in 1796 when he was 21 years of age. He traveled on a visit from Carlysle to the settlement located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers. He found the area to his liking and soon returned with his bride to settle in the area. James and Emily Alexander Evans lived on a 128 acre farm, later known as the Evans estate, where they raised a family of nine. Mr. Evans spent a very active life and accumulated a modest fortune - mostly in real estate. The eldest of their children was Oliver who was born November 22, 1816. Oliver Evans attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, but because he had defective eyes, never practiced his profession. He married Mary Anne Sampson, daughter of Thomas and Anne Sampson. Mr. Sampson operated a grist mill at his home which was located near the present intersection of ROute 48 and Lin- coln Way in White Oak Borough. Oliver and Mary Anne Evans resided on a farm located in the area where Carnegie Free Library of McKeesport now stands. Oliver worked his father's farm and developed his real estate. Years later he and his wife moved to the Sampson homestead in Versailles Township. Mr Evans was the sister of James Harvey Sampson, a life long member of the neighborhood and the last of his family to occupy the old homestead, which was located across from the first Sampson's Mills Church. J. Harvey Sampson operated a grist mill located on what is now the 2100 block on Lincoln Way. The mill obtained its power for grinding during the early 1800's from the now diverted waters of the nearby creek called Jack's Run. A large stone wheel used in the mill was unearthed when the Rainbow Shopping Center was constructed and is now placed there as a marker to its historical past. James Sampson died in 1892, and following the burial in the Long Run Church graveyard, the friends remained at the old homestead which then was occupied by Oliver Evans, Jr. It was at this time they decided to open a school in the little building across the road which was being used as a voting place for the township. Mrs. Evans was present at every session of the school until her last illness, but her enthusiastic interest con- tinued unabated until her death on September 20, 1895. Her daughter, Anna Evans Bailey, and her husband, J.W. Bailey, were present at the organization and like Mrs. Evans, they faithfully kept up their attendance although living at the old homestead in McKeesport, which is the present site of the First United Methodist Church of McKeesport. *******